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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (メタルギアソリッドV グラウンド・ゼロズ,Metaru Gia Soriddo Faibu: Guraundo Zerozu?) is a canonical installment in the Metal Gear series. Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami, Ground Zeroes is the first game to run on the Fox Engine. Hideo Kojima wrote, directed, produced and designed the game.[4]Ground Zeroes was officially announced on August 30, 2012. The game was privately revealed at the Metal Gear 25th Anniversary Event and made its public debut at PAX Prime 2012. Ground Zeroes was released for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in North America on March 18, 2014, March 20, 2014 in Japan and Europe, March 21, 2014 in the UK, and March 27, 2014 in Australia. The Japanese Xbox One version was released on September 4, 2014 via download only. A PC version of Ground Zeroes was released on December 18, 2014.[3]

Some time after the Peace Walker Incident, Paz had survived the fall from atop of Mother Base after losing a fierce battle to Big Boss. Eventually, she was rescued by a Belizean fisherman who found her drifting in the Caribbean. After being informed by Miller of her survival, Big Boss suggested her assassination due to her being a Cipher agent who had important information about the Militaires Sans Frontières. Disagreeing with him, Kaz mentioned another plan. He stated that MSF's "friends" at Cipher suspect Paz could be a double agent. Kaz also informed Big Boss that Paz is being held for interrogation at Camp Omega, a maximum security prison facility on the southern tip of Cuba (on communist soil and outside of U.S. legal jurisdiction). Meanwhile, there was an upcoming UN nuclear inspection of Mother Base, the "perfect" timing of which made Miller doubt Paz leaked information about the nature of MSF. At last, Big Boss and Miller both agreed that the wisest action is to save Paz who was their only link to Cipher, along with Chico, who was held as prisoner somewhere close to Paz's location after taking upon a rescue mission himself (due to him having feelings for Paz).

At midnight on March 16, 1975, Big Boss began his mission alone, due to political sensitivities, and infiltrated Camp Omega from its southern cliff.

The main story mission is Ground Zeroes. After completing it, four additional side ops are unlocked, each of which takes place prior to the main mission and is listed as "pseudo-historical recreations." After collecting all XOF patches, the player will unlock bonus extra ops which are also listed as "pseudo-historical recreations."

Gameplay

Big Boss infiltrating Camp Omega.

Like the previous Metal Gear Solid titles, Ground Zeroes is a stealth action game. Ground Zeroes is the first game in the series to feature an open world gameplay structure, albeit on a small scale.[6] All missions take place in and around Camp Omega. The exact method of infiltrating Camp Omega is up to the player, with many different entry points and gameplay styles available.[6] When multiple objectives are present, the player can do them in the order they want. At the end, however, the player will receive the message as the director originally designed and intended it, without change.[7]

Ground Zeroes' map shown on a tablet.

The use of an on screen mini-map has been removed, and replaced with the new iDroid device. The game continues when the iDroid is used, meaning enemies continue patrolling and searching for the player. While the iDroid's map usually takes up the screen when activated, it can instead be used in conjunction with Android and iOS mobile devices. The map can constantly be run on these devices, and waypoints can be set without interrupting the game. The secondscreen functionality can also be used to listen to audio files and check mission information.[6] The PlayStation versions of the game can be used with the PlayStation Vita's remote play function, allowing the game to be streamed from the home console to the PS Vita.[8]

The player can use a flare to call in a helicopter at any time, either for extraction or air support. The helicopter can play music of the player's choosing ("Ride of the Valkyries" was used as an example to demonstrate this). Louder music will draw more attention to the player's location and gives enemy the chance to take down the chopper.[9] Enemy vehicles can be stolen and used as transportation, and in some missions, a means to escape the base. Available vehicles in Camp Omega include trucks, jeeps and tanks. Crashing a vehicle in enemy territory will immediately alert nearby sentries.[6]

Crawling makes a return after being absent in Peace Walker, but the slow “Cautious advance” available in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots wasn't retained.[10] Laying in grass works when hiding from enemies, but they will see Snake if they get too close. The enemy's line of sight means that, when far away, they may not notice Snake crawling slowly across flat areas, but will see him if he breaks into a sprint.[6] When an enemy becomes suspicious, an indicator will appear, pointing the direction they are located, and filling with color as their suspicion increases.[6] If a body or unconscious enemy is discovered by another enemy soldier or vehicle, the alert mode is triggered. When guards are alert and looking for Snake, there is no longer an onscreen meter or gauge to indicate how much longer they will stay in that state. Instead, the player must listen to radio chatter, and watch the guards movements to figure out when they have calmed down. When spotted, the game will slow down, allowing the player to lock on to the guard and shoot or run at the enemy. This feature can be deactivated. Guards will always head for Snake's last known position.[6]

As with Metal Gear Solid 4, the game features a third-person aiming view with the option of switching to first-person. Low-caliber weapons feature a bullet drop mechanic which causes projectiles to fall over longer distances. Distance notches have been added to the targeting reticule, allowing the player to better judge their shots when outside optimal firing range. Weapons are now selected through the d-pad. Quickly pressing the buttons will quick select weapons, while holding them down will open a larger selection, with the weapon's class being tied to a specific direction.[6] Unlike previous titles, weapons can now be stolen from enemies and used freely, as can any weapon found in the field.[6][10]

The CQC in Metal Gear Solid V is more realistic than it was in Peace Walker. It's described as being "manga like" in Peace Walker in order to appeal to a younger audience.[10] A button prompt will appear when approaching an enemy, that will allow Snake to take them into a chokehold and drag them out of sight from other guards. Three icons appear, allowing the player to interrogate, knock out, or kill the guard. Interrogation causes Snake to pull his knife, which can result in the soldier giving information such as ammo and secret passage locations which are then marked on the map. Enemy ammunition is automatically acquired when taking hold of enemy soldiers. When behind low cover, enemies can be pulled into a chokehold. When near a group of enemies, CQC takedowns can be chained together like in Peace Walker. Enemy weapons are automatically taken when grabbed from the front, and can instantly be used against them.[6]

Binoculars can be used to mark enemies, a feature which allows the player to track enemy movements on the map and see them through walls. The feature is active by default, but it can be turned off.[6] The enemy AI has been described as advanced and "unpredictable", and their paths cover wider areas.[11][6]

Unlike previous Metal Gear titles, all weapons in the game are not based on single real life weapons. Instead, they are influenced by several weapons, incorporating multiple features reminiscent of them to form a new, original weapon. They are also given new designations reminiscent of the country they supposedly originate form (such as the Sz.-336 SMG being a Czech SMG, as Czech SMGs typically have a "vz." designation)

The game features five side missions. Known side missions include: a daytime mission, a VIP rescue mission, and the "Déjà Vu" and "Jamais Vu" missions.[12] The story mission features the XOF patches dropped by Skull Face as collectibles. Collecting all the patches unlocks the "Déjà Vu" and "Jamais Vu" missions.[6][13][14]

"Classic Snake" crawling in the "Déjà Vu" mission.

The "Déjà Vu" mission pays tribute to the original Metal Gear Solid. This mode features models from the original game, as well as music and lighting changes. Miller impersonated moments from the original game over the radio. The player is tasked with arranging a handful of scenes reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, like Shadow Moses’ heliport and hangar. Beating the mission unlocks the "Classic Snake" skin. Beating the mission on Hard unlocks the "Cyborg Ninja" skin.[6]

Raiden can run at high speeds in the "Jamais Vu" mission.

The "Jamais Vu" mission puts the player in control of Raiden. Raiden's mission is to eliminate Body-Snatchers disguised as enemy soldiers, similar to the enemies from Kojima's other title Snatcher.[15] Raiden does not use his trademark sword, instead using the weapons available in Ground Zeroes. He features increased speed and the mission itself is more action-focused than the rest of the game. Beating the mission unlocks the "White Armour" skin and "Commando Armour" skin.[6]

Development

Pre-announcement

Metal Gear Solid V was teased under the name Project Ogre.[16] Prior to its announcement, Kojima stated that his next game would support Transfarring, be multiplatform and be designed with a global audience in mind.[17][18] The game was described as being set in an open world in which the players would find content even after 100 hours.[17][18] At some point in development, the game featured an "80's" style visual to fit with the setting of The Phantom Pain. The filter was removed as it was too taxing on the hardware.[19]

Kojima had wanted to release Ground Zeroes immediately after Peace Walker, on either the PSP or PS3, but the team had encountered development issues and faced delays with Metal Gear Rising. When they learnt of the impending next generation of consoles, they decided to develop the game as a cross generational title.[20]

A recruiting poster used at GDC 2012.

On February 21, 2012, a Kojima Productions owned site named Development Without Borders was created to announce their presence at the Game Developers Conference, where they would be recruiting staff for a new Metal Gear Solid game. Recruitment took place at the Game Developers Conference pavilion between March 6 and March 9. Job descriptions included "Project engineers for the latest Metal Gear Solid targeted for high-end consoles and PC", "Engineers to help develop next-gen engine technology for use with the FOX Engine" and "Kojima Productions Brand Manager."[21][22]

On March 17, speaking at a Q&A to mark the inclusion of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 in the Smithsonian's "Art of Video Games" exhibit, Kojima stated that “This year, next year, I am working on something that I think will become the shining moment” for his career and the Metal Gear series.[23] Kojima stated that the game would deal with delicate issues, considered taboo, and that he was unsure as to whether they would make the final cut. He stated that he wanted to continue bringing real issues to the forefront, but he had to ensure the game was still enjoyable to play. He said that as a creator who constantly saw the flaws in his own work after it's finished, he always felt that what he was creating at any point in time was, in his mind, the best, but declined to elaborate. He visited a military base in San Diego to test a shooting simulator, but could not go into detail.[24]

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

A promotional poster for Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

The first trailer of Ground Zeroes was shown at the Metal Gear 25th Anniversary Event on August 30, 2012, and PAX Prime 2012 two days later, where it was used to demonstrate the Fox Engine. The trailer consisted of the game's opening cutscene, a few minutes of gameplay, and used the Japanese audio. The demo ran on a PC using an Xbox 360 controller. Kojima stated while the game and engine were designed with both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in mind, the engine would cater to the next-gen consoles.[25] While Snake's hair appeared gray in the trailer, it was actually brown. The gray coloration was caused by backlighting.[26] Kojima called Ground Zeroes "a beginning" rather than an end for the series, and referred to it as a "prologue" to the then unannounced Metal Gear Solid V.[27] He stated that the open world nature of this game had taken a toll on the visuals, but the lighting had not been impacted.[28]

Speaking at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Kojima discussed the advantages of open world gameplay. He highlighted the freedom for players to choose both when and how to complete a given mission as key to his vision of an open world Metal Gear title. The new approach meant that instead of everybody having the same experience as they did in previous games, each player would have their own unique experiences.[29][30] Kojima later discussed his desire to work on original properties, but said that if it were not for Metal Gear, they would not have been able to spend the time and money required to create the Fox Engine. He stated that concepts present in the new Metal Gear Solid were originally intended for new intellectual properties. He went on to suggest that
Grand Theft Auto III, an open world title that was released the same year as Metal Gear Solid 2 had influenced him.[31]
During a trip to Dubai in early 2013, Kojima voiced his belief that storytelling through cinematics had became a bit outdated, and therefore he used a new method of storytelling for Ground Zeroes.[7]

On February 18, 2013, a job listing was posted by Kojima Productions to look for new recruits at the GDC Career Pavilion from March 25-27 for the new Metal Gear Solid title.[32] Several days later, Kojima told Videogamer that the video game medium had not matured over the years, and that although he had tried introduce mature themes in previous Metal Gear games, there was still a long way to go, and as such, he wanted to target many taboos and mature themes in Ground Zeroes. He expressed his concern that he might not have been able to release the game, or that it would sell poorly due to these themes. Kojima said that his creative side meant that he was not prioritizing sales.[33]

Metal Gear Solid V

After the official announcement of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, it was widely believed that Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain had been combined into one game. However, it was later revealed that contrary to popular belief, they were still two separate games.[34][35] Adding to the confusion, on June 12, a Special E3 KP Alert podcast stated that Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain were part of the same game.[36] On June 13, Kojima revealed that Ground Zeroes would serve as the prologue for The Phantom Pain. He said that unlike The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes would have a much smaller, more closed open world. He also said that unlike The Phantom Pain, the weather and time would be static. They had set Ground Zeroes up this way so that players would have a more comfortable transition to the new gameplay. He also revealed that he was still unsure if Ground Zeroes would be released as a standalone game or as a component of The Phantom Pain.[37]

Kojima told GameTrailers TV that David Hayter would not be reprising his role as Big Boss.[38][39] During the 2013 pre-E3 showcase, it was officially announced that Kiefer Sutherland would be providing the voice and facial performance of Big Boss through motion capture.[40]

On the day Kojima Productions Los Angeles had its grand opening, a new demo of Ground Zeroes was revealed to the public, with Yuji Korekado playing it via a laptop. The opening was similar to the PAX Prime 2012 demo, although the patches that were disposed of by XOF now included a FOX patch, and English was used as the primary language. Snake's gear in the demo contained the iDroid and binoculars. They showed new gameplay features such as marking enemy soldiers in order to track their movements. When taking hold of an enemy, Korekado was given the options of killing, knocking out, and interrogating the guard. Korekado chose the interrogation option, which had the soldier explain the location of the FOX patch from the opening cutscene. Snake used the iDroid to mark the location of the truck on his map. The demo was supposed to have ended with Snake taking a Jeep and calling for an extraction via helicopter, but Korekado ended up getting himself spotted by the enemy late into the demo, resulting in a run-and-gun escape which also ended up revealing that the player could use bullet time mechanics against soldiers, as well as having a heightened regeneration capacity. Although Korekado managed to get Snake out alive, Kojima ribbed him for the performance.[41]

A demo of the game was shown at the 2013 Tokyo Game Show. It was similar to the original PAX Prime 2012 demo but contained an introduction by Miller referencing the event and welcoming everyone to it. Chico was replaced with an S-Rank cardboard box specialist. Another demo was shown shortly thereafter, this one taking place during the daytime. The demo had the player infiltrate Camp Omega in the back of a truck, with Miller instructing Big Boss to locate Brian, a mole that MSF had placed among the base's personnel, and retrieve a cassette tape. After Big Boss disembarked underneath a bridge and scouted the enemies, he then stealthily navigated throughout the complex before locating Brian. In order to maintain Brian's cover as well as his own, he ambushed Brian and placed him into an interrogation hold. Upon Brian realizing who Big Boss was, Brian told him, after the latter loosened the chokehold, that he didn't have the tape on him as there was too much risk of being discovered, but informed him that it was safe near a guard tower. He also mentioned that a person at the base was not a CIA agent, but decided against revealing any more and told him to be careful, as well as to knock him out to maintain cover. Upon knocking Brian out, Big Boss then marked the location of the guard tower on his iDroid map and proceeded to it, knocking out several guards in the process. He then retrieved the tape and had the Hind pick him up. However, was discovered, and his escape ride was shot down. He hijacked a jeep to escape and destroyed an enemy APC via a C4-laiden trap near the cliffside.

Tentative Ground Zeroes cover that was featured on the KonamiBlog site.

On November 4, 2013, Konami announced that Ground Zeroes would be released in Spring 2014 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, confirming that Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain would be released seperately.[42][43] Kojima believed that it would have been ideal to release both parts of Metal Gear Solid V together, but fan demand had swayed them to release a game sooner, and as The Phantom Pain was still in development, they decided to release the prologue early.[20]

On Friday, November 14, Kojima appeared on Spike's All Access Weekly, and showed a new trailer for Ground Zeroes. The trailer revealed that the PlayStation versions of the game would feature an exclusive mission titled "Déjà Vu", that features Classic Snake as the main character.[44] This confirmed an earlier report that the PlayStation versions would indeed receive exclusive content.[45] On November 22, it was revealed that the Xbox versions of the game would also receive exclusive content.[46] The trailer for the Xbox exclusive mission was released on December 9. The mission, titled "Jamais Vu", allows the player to play as Raiden from Metal Gear Rising, and features Body-Snatchers as enemies. Just as "Déjà Vu" was made to celebrate the anniversary of the original Metal Gear Solid, "Jamais Vu" celebrates the 25th anniversary of another Kojima game, Snatcher. The trailer also announced a release date of March 18, 2014.[15] The Japanese "Jamais Vu" trailer released the next day announced that Ground Zeroes would be released in Japan on March 20, 2014. The European and UK release dates were announced a few weeks afterwards (March 20, 2014 for Europe and March 21, 2014 for the UK, respectively).

The announcement of console exclusive missions was met with a mixed reaction. Likewise, the announcement of the "Déjà Vu" mission itself was mixed. Konami representative ToraShiro explained in a post on NeoGAF that the reaction was the result of Kojima creating too much hype for a single mission, causing fans to think it would be much bigger.[47] ToraShiro stated that the reason for the missions being exclusive on different consoles was due to Konami being "a console mercenary."[48]

In December 2013, the cover arts for Ground Zeroes were made public, and the European release date was revealed to be the same day as the Japanese release. Kojima stated that Ground Zeroes was both a prologue for Metal Gear Solid V and a tutorial for the new gameplay style. Ground Zeroes was "hundreds" of times smaller than The Phantom Pain, and lacked the real-time passage of time featured in the main game. Individual missions, however, would take place at different times, and offer different styles of gameplay.[49]

The full achievement list of the Xbox 360/Xbox One versions of the game was leaked by the site, exophase. The list revealed that both the "Ground Zeroes" mission and three of the five side ops missions allowed for the rescue of prisoners (one being mandatory, the other two being optional).[50] It was later revealed that a trailer comparing all four versions of Ground Zeroes would be released.
[51]

Game Informer's March 2014 cover, designed by Yoji Shinkawa.

In February 2014, Game Informer released their March edition featuring Metal Gear Solid V as their cover story. The magazine covered both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain and featured artwork drawn by Yoji Shinkawa on the cover. Two members of Game Informer's staff were given four hours to play the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Ground Zeroes, a first for non-Kojima Productions staff. They, like Kojima himself, noted that the PlayStation 4 version of the game looked slightly better than the Xbox One version.[6] They compared the game to "a paid, standalone version of the Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty demo that was included with Zone of the Enders on the PlayStation 2." The Game Informer staff completed the main game in just under two hours, and were told that internal testers could speed run the mission in five minutes.[6]

Game Informer's comments regarding the game's length caused some controversy. Many other media outlets reported on their comments, with some getting some of the facts wrong. Game Informer clarified the situation, stating that they played through the main game first, completing it in the aforementioned two hours, before playing some of the side missions. They stated that they did not play all five side missions, but revealed that they played "a mission set during the daytime that Konami has previously shown, a side mission where Snake rescues a VIP, and the console-exclusive Déjà Vu and Jamais Vu modes." In the four hours they had with the game, they each played through the story a second time, skipping cutscenes and heading straight for the targets.[12]

On February 14, Sutherland, while in London to film 24: Live Another Day, told IGN that Big Boss would be "a little more edgier, and a little more angry about his history." He added, "The rest you'll have to find out in the game, because there's a secret that is actually really cool."[52]

In February 2014, Konami announced that the PS3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One versions of Ground Zeroes would run at 720p, while the PS4 version would run at 1080p. Konami also announced that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game would run at 30 frames per second, while the PS4 and Xbox One versions would run at 60 frames per second.[53] A comparison trailer was later released.[54] Shortly afterwards, Ground Zeroes' visuals were criticized, with some going as far as comparing it to the visuals of Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima referred to both issues as "nonsense."[55][56]

On March 9, some countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, ended up breaking the street date and released the game earlier than the projected release date.[57]

On April 24, Kojima announced that the Déjà Vu mission would be released for the Xbox consoles and the Jamais Vu mission would be released for the PlayStation consoles on May 1 via a patch. This was done to celebrate the fact that the game had sold 1 million copies worldwide. However, the achievements/trophies attached to the exclusive missions ("Reminiscence" for Déjà Vu and "Hidden" for Jamais Vu, respectively) weren't carried over to the opposite platforms in the patch.[13][14][58]

On June 21, Konami announced that Ground Zeroes would finally be released in Japan for the Xbox One. However, it would only be available via download on Xbox Live. It was released on September 4, 2014 for the price of 2477 yen.[59]

Poster revealing control support for the Steam version of Ground Zeroes.

On August 13, Kojima announced at Gamescon 2014 that the PC version of Ground Zeroes is in development. It will be released on Steam.[2]

On August 28, the Kojima Productions website unveiled a contest for TGS 2014 where participants would play a round of Ground Zeroes, record the gameplay, and then upload the gameplay video onto the web via Facebook or other social outlets. Winners would receive prizes during TGS, though the specifics wasn't announced. The registration date was on September 7.[60]

On September 20, during TGS 2014, a gameplay presentation of Ground Zeroes with commentary from Hideo Kojima, Akio Ōtsuka, Mikami Satoshi, and Stefanie Joosten was presented, with the winners also being presented.[61]

On October 3, during Irgomir 2014, the Steam release of Ground Zeroes was confirmed to be on December 18, and that a patch would be released for the console versions to fix minor glitches and translation issues.[62]

On November 16, a demo for the PC version of Ground Zeroes was unveiled to the public.[63] In addition, Konami's Twitter account revealed that sweepstakes for Ground Zeroes would occur. Details of the sweepstakes were given in full on Monday, November 17.[64]

On November 19, the specs for the Steam version of Ground Zeroes were announced and listed the following:[65]

Minimum Specifications:

OS: Windows Vista 64-Bit or later

Processor: Core i5 SandyBridge 4Core (4 Thread) 2.7GHz or above

Memory: 4 GB RAM or above

Graphics: GeForce GTX 650 or above

DirectX: Version 11 or above

Recommended Specifications:

OS: Windows Vista 64-Bit or later

Processor: Core i5 SandyBridge 4Core (4 Thread) 2.7GHz or above

Memory: 8 GB RAM or above

Graphics: GeForce GTX 760 or above

DirectX: Version 11 or above

On December 12, as part of the leadup to the release date of the Steam version of Ground Zeroes, the official Facebook page for Metal Gear started an event called the "12 Days of Metal Gear", featuring elements from the game done to the tune of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Music

Releases

The Japanese packaging features both Big Boss and Kazuhira Miller, while the cover for the overseas versions only features the former. According to Kojima, the reason for this difference is because he figured Western audiences would be unfamiliar with who Miller is, due to Peace Walker's financial failure in the West. He had previously considered having Skull Face and Big Boss on the overseas key art, but decided against it when it became apparent that the cover was going to be horrifying as a result, and also because it reminded him too much of the film Enemy Mine.[66] Kojima himself designed the Japanese cover, as he desired to do everything, including the trailers, entirely by himself.[67]
However, he let the overseas branches of Konami handle the key artwork for the overseas versions, and he was informed that Miller would have been a little known character due to Peace Walker being a PSP game.[68]
When it became apparent that people noticed that Miller was missing from the cover and inquired about his status, Kojima had been very surprised to learn that Miller had actually been well-received by the audience.[69]

Pre-order bonuses

Reversible cover art drawn by Yoji Shinkawa.

Konami announced four pre-order bonuses for Japan: a Konamistyle exclusive smartphone display stand and note pad in likeness of a cassette tape, a DLC code to unlock a "special weapon" for The Phantom Pain, a GEO exclusive DLC code used to unlock a special Mother Base recruit, and a reverseable sleeve featuring artwork drawn by Yoji Shinkawa.[70] The "special weapon" was later revealed to be the Windurger S333 CombatSpecial and Olive Drab Personal Ballistic Shield.

There is also a GameTsutaya exclusive DLC code for an additional bonus soldier, and an Amazon Japan exclusive DLC code for a special cardboard box, both unlocked in The Phantom Pain. These two were later revealed to be the soldier Skull and the Wetlands Cardboard Box, respectively. Other retailers such as Joshin and Eisin offered downloadable voice clips featuring Snake and other characters for mobile devices.

The bonus version of Ground Zeroes also included a DLC voucher code for unlocking a bonus soldier. This soldier was later revealed to be named Fox.

European pre-order bonuses are a free download code for the full game of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition. This is availble to digital pre-ordering only. The North American equivalent pre-order bonus is a Ground Zeroes theme for the PS3.

North American pre-order bonuses is a limited edition poster if pre-order from retailer GameStop. Kojima unveiled it on his Twitter account and revealed that it was 24x36 dimensions, depicting artwork from the Japanese cover. His wording, however, left it ambiguous if there were varying prints or if there was a single print. The Yoji Shinkawa artwork reverseable sleeve is included with every standard copy of the game.

Voucher codes

As noted in the pre-order bonuses above, the games come with voucher codes that will allow for unlocking special weapons, equipment and soldiers. In America, Canada, and Latin America, they also unlock a bonus trailer upon inputting it into the Konami CORE site, as well as having the save file transfer over to The Phantom Pain. The European versions will only have the code work when The Phantom Pain is released.[71]

Console Bundles

*Announced on February 17, 2014, for ¥46,980. The Fox Edition was released on March 20, 2014.[73][74]

Contests and prizes

On November 14, two contests were announced, the first was called Grizzled Veteran, and the second was called New Recruit. Both involved mail-in sweepstakes entries. The prizes for the former were two sets of prizes, each containing the Metal Gear Solid: SNAKE Jungle Fatigues by PLAY ARTS action figures (approximate retail value of each prize: $154.00, with $306.00 in total retail value), and the prizes for the latter were a set of four (4) prizes, each consisting of a PUMA Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Down Feather Jacket (approximate retail value of each prize: $85.00, amounting to $340.00 in total retail value) by registering Ground Zeroes. Konami later tweeted the announcement three days later.[75]

On August 12, a contest called the Sixth Campaign was announced regarding Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Similar to the prior two contests, this involved mail-in sweepstakes entry tickets. The tickets could be gained for free on the PlayStation Store or otherwise included on the PS3 and PS4 hard copies for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes for a set amount of Yen. The period was August 12 through September 9. Winners will receive a free Play Arts KAI Snake figure, METAL GEAR SOLID V GROUND ZEROES type iDROID iPhone case TGSver.(iPhone5-5s only), and METAL GEAR SOLID V GROUND ZEROES for cassette tape case Smartphone stand x 50 per person, although the prizes can not be chosen by the winner. There will be 50 winners in all, and they will be shipped and notified between September 9 and October.[76]

Reception

Pre-release

Game Infomer had early access to Ground Zeroes in February 2014. They praised the game's secondscreen functionality, enemy marking mechanic, inventory and revamped alert systems, and visuals, particularly the line of sight. They also praised the new "bullet-time" system that activates when seen by enemies, stating that "this last-ditch effort feels more like a nice bonus when it works rather than an easy crutch."[6] They also gave praise to Kiefer Sutherland's performance of Big Boss, saying that he "does a wonderful job conveying MGS V’s hero." Game Infomer's writers believed that Sutherland’s added "a layer of emotion" absent in David Hayter's voice. They compared the change to adjusting to a new James Bond actor.[6]

Game Informer voiced their skepticism of the game's price tag, stating that while the game is enjoyable, it will be "a tough sell for Konami", mainly due to the main game's length, and due to every mission taking place in the same location.[6] Despite their skepticism, Game Informer ultimately concluded that "fans have a lot to look forward to."[6] Jesse Divnich, from EEDAR: Video Game Research and Consulting, praised Konami and Kojima's decision to split the game, believing it to their answer to common DLC practices, while retaining the series identity.[6]

Release

Consoles

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has received mostly positive reviews. Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version a metascore of 75.[77] The Xbox One version also got a metascore of 75,[78] while the PlayStation 3 version got a metascore of 66.[79] GameRankings gave the PlayStation 4 version an average of 75.23%,[80] the Xbox One version an average of 72.50%,[81] the PlayStation 3 version an average of 73.57%,[82] and the Xbox 360 version an average of 80.00%.[83]

IGN gave Ground Zeroes a 8.0 saying, "Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is a short but challenging game, and those willing to cast aside conventional expectations will find a lot more here than first glance might suggest."[84]Edge gave the game a 9 saying, "Still, if it's a demo, Ground Zeroes is the best demo ever; if it's a prologue, it sets the story so well you'll spend the next year thirsting for revenge; and if it's a tutorial, the systems it teaches are so intriguing that the prospect of spending an entire game with is irresistible. Ground Zeroes is a resounding success in every respect bar its price tag, but value is relative. Fourteen hours in, we're still learning."[85] GameSpot gave the game a 8 saying, "Though it's unusual for everything to take place in a single location, there's so much to do and see, and whether you take a stealthy or head-on approach, infiltrating Camp Omega is a thrilling experience that shouldn't be missed."[86]

Game Informer gave the game a 7 saying, "Even for longtime fans of the Metal Gear franchise, Ground Zeroes may not be worth playing. It spreads its strengths thin over too little space, relying on the repetition of a handful of unremarkable missions in the same area. That's the bad news. The good news is that the core stealth is fun, and the innovations on the gameplay fronts are promising. When supported by enough variety, progression, and story development, these mechanics could form the foundation of a fantastic game. The Phantom Pain could eventually be that game, but Ground Zeroes is definitely not."[87] Polygon gave the game a 5.5 saying, "It's admirable that developer Kojima Productions was willing to toss long-held franchise tenets out of the window in favor of re-imagined Metal Gear Solid gameplay. And it's possible that in a more complete game, these additions might shine more brightly. But Ground Zeroes is hardly the venue to demonstrate the future of the franchise. It's staggeringly short and unsatisfying, feeling more like a cash grab than an honest-to-goodness installment in a beloved franchise."[88]

PC

The PC version of Ground Zeroes has received good reviews. Metacritic gave it a metascore of
80.[89]

PC Gamer gave the game a 87 saying, "If you like challenging, open-ended stealth that lets you flex your imagination, you should seriously consider giving it a go. And don’t worry if you haven’t played a Metal Gear Solid game for years, or ever for that matter: there’s a backstory option on the main menu that will get you up to speed."[90] IGN gave it a 8.0 saying, "Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is a short but challenging game, and those willing to cast aside conventional expectations will find a lot more here than first glance might suggest. Aside from its problematic ending, Ground Zeroes mostly represents a new, more sophisticated era for Metal Gear, particularly given its attention to what matters on PC."[91]

Sales

On April 25, 2014, the console versions of Ground Zeroes hit over 1,000,000 copies shipped.[92]

Popular culture

A Ground Zeroes-themed DLC pack is available for LittleBigPlanet 3. Released on December 4, 2014 in Europe and North America, the pack feature costumes that are modeled after Big Boss, Kazuhira Miller, Skull Face, a tank, and a helicopter. The prices for them are £1.69/€1.99/$2.95 each, plus £4.99/€5.99/$8.95 for the full pack.[94][95]

Updated specification requirements for the Steam/PC version of Ground Zeroes.

GZ-TPP data transfer compatability chart.

A twitter image by Kojima implied that there would have been artwork released on the Xbox versions of the game after completing trials. However, this was proven to not be the case in the final release.